Pitt is headed into one of the biggest tests on its schedule with a trip to face No. 1 Miami on Oct. 24, a matchup that comes after the Panthers have dropped back-to-back games to North Carolina and Boston College. At 5-2, Pitt gets an early shot at the top team in the country - and its first game against a No. 1 opponent since 2002.
That last meeting with the nation’s top-ranked team also came against Miami, on the road. Pitt entered that game ranked No. 17 and came away with a 28-21 loss.
Miami has spent the season looking like the sport’s most complete team. The Hurricanes are one of just five undefeated Power Four teams left and the only unbeaten ACC team remaining.
They opened 5-0 by beating their first five opponents by an average of 39.8 points, and their latest game was their tightest yet. Against Florida State, Miami needed double overtime to escape with a 43-35 win.
The Hurricanes still bring back plenty of the pieces that powered last season’s run to the National Championship game, including Heisman candidate Malachi Toney at wide receiver. They also added Duke quarterback Darian Mensah in the offseason, and he has settled in quickly, averaging 294 passing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the country.
Pitt knows this one was always going to be the mountain on the calendar. The Panthers hosted No. 12 Miami in the final ACC game of last season, with an ACC Championship berth within reach, but got blown out and fell out of the rankings.
There is at least one recent memory Pitt can lean on: the Panthers won the last time they played in Miami, rolling to a 42-16 victory in the 2022 season.
Pat Narduzzi has had some success against elite teams. He is 2-2 against AP Top 25 teams ranked in the top three, with wins over No.
2 Miami in 2017 and No. 2 Clemson in 2016.
But Pitt has never beaten an AP Poll No. 1 in 15 tries.
The Panthers also arrive with uncertainty at quarterback. Mason Heintschel, who is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, even struggled against Miami last season. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have been brutal on defense, allowing just 13.8 points per game, the sixth-best mark in the nation.
There is some precedent for the top team stumbling lately. Texas lost to Oklahoma, and then Georgia fell at home to Auburn this past weekend. Still, Pitt will need a much sharper performance to have a real chance in this one.
The Panthers’ last road game against a ranked opponent came last season at No. 16 Georgia Tech, and that trip ended in a wild win. It was also a reminder that if Pitt is locked in, anything can happen.
In Other News...
Pitt Heads To No. 1 Miami With One Huge Question Looming
Mario Cristobal knows what is coming to Hard Rock Stadium. As Miami prepares to face Pittsburgh, the Hurricanes are getting a visit from a Panthers team that still has enough defensive talent to command attention, especially up front. Cristobal has already pointed to Pitts line and the way the Panthers can disrupt an offense, a reminder that this is not the kind of matchup to treat lightly even with Miami riding high after its double-overtime win over Florida State.
For Pittsburgh, though, the bigger issue has been on the other side of the ball, where injuries to its star quarterback have left the Panthers short of the level that once had them ranked and unbeaten. They come in off a loss to Boston College, which only sharpens the contrast with a Miami team that has kept gathering momentum. The question hanging over Pitt is whether enough of its identity remains intact to make this trip more than just another tough test against a No. 1 team. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt Faces A Defining QB Decision As Schedule Gets Brutal
Pitts quarterback picture has become one of the biggest issues hanging over the rest of the season. After Mason Heintschel went down with an ACL tear, the Panthers have had to piece together the position with Texas State transfer Holden Geriner and true freshman Corey Dailey, and neither has yet provided a clean answer. With the ACC slate only getting tougher from here, the margin for error around the offense is shrinking fast.
The Panthers now have to sort out which direction gives them the best chance to keep pace in the conference and stay in the bowl hunt. Geriner and Dailey have both had mixed showings, which leaves the staff weighing experience against upside while the schedule adds pressure every week. For a team still trying to find stability, the next quarterback decision could go a long way toward defining how the rest of the year plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt's Georgia Tech Game Just Got Bigger Amid This Two-Game Slide
Pitts late-October matchup with Georgia Tech at Acrisure Stadium already carried plenty of weight, and now the stage around it has grown a little bigger. The Panthers will host the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 31 in a nighttime setting that should give the game a different feel, one that fits a team still trying to steady itself after a two-game slide and keep its postseason path moving in the right direction.
For a Pitt team looking to improve its record and lock in bowl eligibility, the timing matters almost as much as the opponent. A strong response at home would ease some of the pressure that has built over the last two weeks, while giving the Panthers a chance to reset in front of a nationally televised audience and remind everyone what kind of finish they can still put together. [Read more 🡒]